Sandro Botticelli

Sandro Botticelli (1445-17 May 1510) was a painter and draughtsman from Florence, Italy who was one of the most acclaimed painters in Italy.

Biography
Alessandro di Mariano di Vanni Filipepi was born in 1445 in Florence, Italy, and he gained his nickname "Botticelli" from his older brother, meaning "little barrel". Botticelli was influenced by artist Filippo Lippi while working as a tanner, and he began to paint when he was eighteen years old. Botticelli would become one of the most acclaimed painters in Italy, and he became famous for fainting large scenes, including several in the Sistine Chapel. In 1482, he painted "Primavera" for Lorenzo de Medici's wedding, using the artistic form of chiaroscuro (dark colors), and it was his first masterpiece. In 1486, he also painted "the Birth of Venus", a painting showing the birth of the goddess Venus (Aphrodite in Greek mythology), and it became his best-known painting. He died in Florence in 1510.